Warfare (2025): Review

Stub • 356 Words • Film, 2025 • 12/01/2025

⚠️ This post contains a rougher cut of my thoughts on the topic and may be updated in the future. Please forgive any mistakes or lack of polish!

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with this movie being focused on a realistic portrayal of just one military engagement the focus is not on the general war and interrogations on the justness of it

  • civilian involvement is given a bit of thought while not the main focus
    • showing how it affects locals and destroy lives and property even if they aren’t acting as soldiers in the war

i think that the honest portrayal of war will resonate differently with everyone depending on their preconceptions

  • to me, it is gruesome and traumatic and messy portrayal but in a way that reads to me like it is not trying to glorify or fetishize it
    • a bit one note of “war is hell” but it is better than other lenses I suppose
  • i don’t think they are necessarily painted as heroes
    • since the subjects are living/real people a base level of respect is given to them in their own story
    • but they aren’t painted as courageous heroes in my opinion
      • they make the local soldiers go out first to open the tank doors and then send the first Seal out after the locals come back safely
      • they make mistakes and are traumatized by the actions that play out

masculinity as a theme:

  • brotherhood a bit but not as much as it was marketed as
  • being called weak when the guy filling in as sniper didn’t take the shot
  • opening scene is all the guys watching a racy exercise video together
  • the soldier from the other unit not really taking the casualties seriously and trying to give a severely out of touch pep talk to the wounded

it was well produced with good cinematography and sound design and while not super artistic still had some good artistic choices

  • i liked how audio and talking would overlap sometimes
  • i enjoyed when in some scenes there was no sound at all

with all that being said why this movie and why now?

  • i think it is strange on garland and a24’s part to make and distribute this movie
  • maybe as a cautionary tale for war but it doesn’t seem as important as other stories in this moment

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